Chapter 0 | Case Study

Case Study

TYCIA Foundation | Opening the Door to Discoverability

The background
Saraswati, all of a precocious 7, belongs to the Korku tribe living in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. Traditionally hunter-gatherers, the community has also built a name for itself in farming. They have a legacy of pioneering the cultivation of potato and coffee in Madhya Pradesh. They have always worked towards conservation and fighting malnutrition through sustainable practices. But today, many Korkus struggle to make a living.

laxmi-story.jpgPoverty also led to a tragedy in Saraswati's life. Her brother, at just four months old, died of malnutrition. It was then that she decided that she would become a doctor and save lives. For her, the government school she studied at was a gateway to a better future. Not just for her, but for her entire community. But, things changed when her family's financial situation got worse. Both her parents had to go out and find work. And tiny Saraswati had to stay home and take care of her younger siblings. Her dreams of being a saviour in a white coat would have died, if not for the TYCIA Foundation's 1000andyou project. The campaign aims to help 1,000 Korku girls in Khandwa go to school. A sum of ₹3,000 can see one girl through one academic year of schooling. 

The abbreviation TYCIA unfolds into Turn Your Concern Into Action. The foundation's mission is to build "a nation where all people can gain equitable access to attain quality education, healthcare and livelihood opportunities, and where all the communities can realize their full potential and inequalities are minimized." 1000andyou is one of the many projects and campaigns that TYCIA actively runs and lends support to. The organisation's scope of work extends across sectors: education, criminal justice, youth leaderships and livelihoods. Its initiatives are as varied as its scope. From bringing education to rural and urban communities in dire need, TYCIA also helps educate prison inmates and works to rehabilitate them into society. It also anchors youth leadership and livelihood programmes in various parts of the country.



Being Discovered Online

The challenge

As the organisation grew, so did the number of people and communities it was helping. And so did its needs. It was no longer enough that volunteers and money trickled in whenever. There was a sustained need for these resources. The team had to start dedicating a large part of their time to finding these resources. And this was not a sustainable option. Nor was it in the interests of the organisation.

The challenge here was a simple one. Of discoverability. Unless people knew that TYCIA existed and understood the work it did, they would not be able to decide how to contribute to it. The organisation had a website, but it was paying a good amount of money in terms of hosting and maintenance. It also had a cursory presence on social media. For TYCIA to be present and found on the internet, they had to start from the basics. The organisation needed a low-cost website that could be maintained and managed easily.

The aikyam fellows team connected with TYCIA when they were looking for help to re-build their website. And while doing the research for this, someone guided them to the aikyam fellows forum. One of the founders left a post there, asking for help to build a website. And the aikyam fellows team reached out to them. Right at the outset, we had to find answers to the questions below.

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  1. Who is(are) the primary audience(s) for this website?

  2. What are the actions that you want people to take on the website?

  3. Share references to any websites that have inspired you. In terms of design/writing/user friendliness/navigation

This clarity would help create the website that would accurately represent the TYCIA Foundation to its audience. The organisation had clarity that it was primarily looking to raise two resources through the website: volunteers and donations. Here are some of the steps taken in the making of this website. 

  1. The content and the design for the website was created keeping Sukoon's objective in mind.

  2. The information that volunteers and donors would look for was given prime importance.

  3. For volunteers, this included information on

    1. TYCIA's programmes/initiatives

    2. the impact created by these programmes

    3. how they can contribute

    4. where to sign up

    5. whom to contact for more information

  4. For donors, this included information on

    1. programmes

    2. what their money will be used for

    3. how to donate, which included tax benefits and other info

  5. Call-to-action buttons on the home page indicated where one could volunteer and/or donate.

Impact

How the website helped

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Questions

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